FIRST EXPERIENCE OF DUBAI RUN FOR GREAT GRANDMOTHER

Indian great-grandmother Pulikkal Fathima (second from right), who turns 70 next month, took part in the 5km run with her son Shabeer Abu, daughter-in-law Shahina and grandchildren Shiba, Shebin and Shebeeh. The mother of three, grandmother of nine and great-grandmother of three, said: “I regularly walk or swim. The need to be active and fit is something I learnt from my husband who used to work in Indian Navy. I have continued to do that even after losing him.”

The entire family left home from Dubai Land around 3am. “It is great to see that Sheikh Hamdan has united so many people of all ages for the cause of fitness,” Fathima said.

Running with knee support

It was Jordanian expat Zeina Jaradat’s second Dubai Run. “It was fantastic. I loved it. We could feel that there were more people than last year,” said the entrepreneur running an e-commerce business. “Last year, I did the 5km and I wanted to upgrade myself and registered for the 10km. But, I hurt my knee during my workout and my instructor advised me not to run 10km,” said Jaradat, who came wearing a knee support.

While her husband Yohaan Freits and his 14-year-old daughter Vivian completed the 10km run in an hour, Jaradat completed the 5km route in 40 minutes. “It is a month that we all look forward to. We have so many fitness activities to take part during Dubai Fitness Challenge. It is a lot of fun and the benefits are many,” Jardat said.

Mother-daughter duo love the run

Canadian Shaista Mamdani and nine-year-old

daughter Sana also took part in Dubai Run for the second time. “We ran last year, but we decided to walk this time as my daughter was feeling tired. This year, we didn’t have to wear the masks, but I spotted a few people still wearing them,” she said.

Mamdani said it was heartening to see Shaikh Hamdan returning to Dubai Run every time. “I love being in Dubai at this time of the year. It is such a great city with so many activities.” she said.